Securing means



Oct. 28, 19 47. DAVls I 2,429,925

SECURING MEANS Filed 001;. 2, 1944 'INVENTOR. fka/wrAflw/s Patented Oct. 28, 1947 UNITED STATES -PATE-NT OFFICE SECURING MEANS Frank L. Davis, College Point, N. Y.

Application October 2, 1944, Serial No. 556,866

4 Claims.

The invention here disclosed relates to means for securing cargo and for other purposes, and the present application is a partial continuation of the co-pending application for patent Serial No. 524,135, filed February 26, 1944.

Special objects of the present invention are to provide securing means in the nature ofa quick acting toggle buckle particularly suitable for safety belts and the like; to provide quickly adjustable slack take-up and let-out mechanism for such belts and the like; and to provide light weight but strong, compact, practical and reliable mechanism for uses such as stated and which with all advantages Will be simple in construction and inexpensive in cost.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of construction by which the purposes of the invention are attained are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification,

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates present practical embodiments of the invention, but structure may be further modified and changed all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the claims.

Fig. l is a side elevation of the invention embodied in a safety belt structure;

Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a broken plan View;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a modified form of the safety belt buckle;

Fig. 5 is an edge and part sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 4, showing the adjustable take-up feature incorporated in a suspenders construction.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged broken sectional detail of one of the partly-removable holdin pins.

The belt buckle form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises a pair of separably connectable levers I and 8 having strap holding means and equipped at their meeting ends with toggle engaging and interlocking means.

The first toggle lever I is shown as having spaced, substantially parallel sides 9, 9a, connected near one end by spaced, substantially parallel bars I5! and I I and having elongated notches I2, I2a, in their side edges opening behind hooks I 3, Ilia, at the opposite end.

The cross bars, rods or pins III and II are utilized as snubbers for adjustably holding the belt, strap, webbing or other flexible connection The desired snubbing action is attained by forming the strap in a single thickness 100p I 5 engaged about the outer securing or snubbing pin I I and then carrying the two layers of the looped strap in overlying relation completely about the inner pin I0 in the form of a double layer loop I6 and with these two layers emerging from that end of the link and bearing down on the anchor loop I5 at H.

With this arrangement the free end I8 of the strap is at the under side or in back of the load carrying portion I4 of the strap, where it is out of the Way but can be readily reached and pulled to take up any slack. To facilitate this slack take-up operation the free end may carry .a handle loop I9 slidable over the tensioned load carrying portion I4. To take up slack in the load carrying portion l4 it is only necessary to slide the handle I9 away from the body portion I of the buckle, the strap sliding freely in this direction in the absence of tension on part I4. When, however, there is a load on the main portion I4, the strap holds firmly without slipping because of the binding of the outer layer at 5 over the then reversely tensioned inner layer and because of the bearing of the two layers at I! on the inner or anchorage loop portion I5 of the strap.

To let out the strap I4 it is only necessary, when tension is released thereon, to pullout the inner reach of the strap where it passes around pin II and then back around pin I0, and this is readily accomplished in the illustration by simply pulling on the handle loop 20, Fig. 2, shown hanging on or embracing the outer portion of the strap or webbing bridging the pins Ill and II. I

To confine the strap in the overlying double and single looped relation described, a rod or roller is indicated at 2| extending across between the parallel sides of the link above the doubled layers of strap between the pins I0 and I I.

The other toggle lever 8, like the first, is shown made up with substantially parallel sides 22, 22a, spaced to engage over the outside of the first link or lever and carrying, at the inner faces of the same, cams 23, 23a, secured by rivets 23', 23",

elongated in the direction of longitudinal extent of the lever and having at the inner ends of the same a transverse bar or pin 24 formin the anchorage for the companion length of strap 25.

The elongated cams are rounded at their outer ends to pivotally engage and fit behind the tips of the hooks I3, I3a, and in so engaging the end portions of the cross bar 24 constituting, in effect, continuations or extensions of these cams, slide down over the entry edges 26, 26a, Fig, 2, of the notches past the toggle dead center to force and 3 hold the cams firmly engaged within and behind the hooks 13, Km.

The toggle lever 8 is releasably held in the fully interlocked relation indicated in Fig. l by spring detents shown as indentations 21, 21a, Figs. 1 and 3, in the sides of said lever placed to enter locking depressions 28, 28a, in the sides of the first toggle lever.

The two parts of the buckle can be quickly engaged by simply dropping the pivot bearing. ends of the cams 23, 23a, in the notches l2, l2a, and then relatively rocking the levers to carry the strap supporting pin 24 beyond the dead center position in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, the parts at the end of such movement interlocking both by reason of the toggle relation and by engagement of the spring or yielding detent connection at 21, 28, 21a, 28a.

To facilitate this engagement of the two buckle parts, the sides of the outer or oversliding lever member 8 may be flared outwardly as indicated at 29, 290:, Figs. 1 and 3, to locate and center itself .over the first member.

While the parts will firmly hold in the interlocked relation described, it is easy to quickly release and efiect separation of the parts by just grasping the handle 30 at the free end of the cam lever 8' and opening it suflicien-tly to effect release of the detent and movement of the. strap terminal rod 24 to or beyond dead center in the opening direction. In this last action the cams 23', 23a will fulcrum over the tips of the hooks I3 to rock the levenfree and clear of the hooks, This automatic tumbling or clearing of the cam lever from the hook lever is par ticularly important in safety belt constructions, where it is required that. a belt connection must be instantly releasable without any possibility of the parts catching in the. releasing operation.

The form of the invention illustrated in Figs.

4. and. is generally similar, but in those views the cam lever is shown as made of a single piece of wire. or rod material doubled into the U-iorm indicated at. 31, having the ends of the same angled to. form end bearings. .32, 32a, engageable in the hooks and having the sides of the same connected. togetheradjoining the. cranked ends by a cross. rod 53. providing the strap anchorage and. having its, ends extended beyond the. sides of the yoke to serve as cam extensions as, B ia. This construction avoids the necessity of applyi'ng or forming, cam pieces such as. 23, 2311', Fig. 2', on the inner faces of toggle lever B, it. being observed that the. end bearings. 32', 3.2a and adjoining rod extensions .34, 34a combined constitute, in effect, the. elongated cams for rocking, sliding and interlocking one toggle lever in the other and for tumbling one lever free of the other in the unlocking action.

Figs. 4. and. 5 illustrate also how the first or hook lever may be. made up from a single piece of sheet. metal, with the sides connected together byan. integral back portion 3'5, from the edges of. which the. sides are folded up into. the substantially parallel relation, shown.

Also in these. views .and Fig. 6 there is shown that to facilitate. the single and double looping of the adjustable stra about pins I0 and H, these may be made so as to be readily slipped out of one .side. and yet be caught at the other side soasv not to become completely detached and possibly lost. This is efiected by making the body of the pin of one diameter so as to freely slide in and out of the bearing 36 or 3.5a in. one side, and with an enlarged head portion 31, 37a

at the far end which will slide freely through an enlarged bearing 38, 38a in the other side but which cannot be Withdrawn from the smaller bearing 36 or 35a. A ball or other spring detent 39, 3% serves as a retainer to releasably hold the pin in fully engaged position with the head 40, 49a engaged with the side carrying the smaller bearing 36, 38a. Fig. 6 shows only the one pin, l0, and associated details but it will be understood that the other pin, l I, and associated details may be of the same construction as indicated by the reference characters in Figs. 4 and 5.

While of particular value as a quick release, slack take-up buckle connection for cargo holddownharness, it is realized that the invention has many other different uses, such as for an adjustable safety belt buckle as here described and -ior adjustable suspender buckles and the like.

What is claimed is:

1. Securing means comprising a link member having transversely disposed, substantially parallel cross pins spaced apart longitudinally of the link with one pin near the adjoining end of the link and the other pin set inward from said end pin, and .a flexible, non-metallic strap looped around said end pin and having the two layers forming the loop brought together and looped about the inwardly disposed pin and the double layers carried out at the end of the link bearing on the single layer loop about the end pin and with the outer layer arranged to carry the load and the inner, underlying layer free to be pulled to take up slack in the outer load carrying layer of the strap, and handle means connected with the strap for effecting adjustments of the same about said cross pins.

2. Securing means comprising a link member having. transversely disposed, substantiall parallel cross pins spaced apart longitudinally of the link with one pin near an adjoining end of the link and the other pin set inward from said end pin, and a flexible, non-metallic strap looped around said end pin and having the two layers forming the loop brought together and looped about the inwardly disposed pin and the double layers carried out at the end of the link bearing on the single layer loop about the end pin and with the outer layer arranged to carry the load and the inner, underlying layer free to be pulled to take up slack in the outer load carrying layer of the strap, said link having substantially parallel sides in which said CIOSs pins are supported, and at least one of saidtcross pins being disconnectable from one of said sides but not from the other and whereby said pin can be freed from one side to facilitate looping of the strap thereabout without becoming detached from the link.

3. Securing means comprising a, link having substantially parallel sides, substantially parallel strap holding pins extending across between said sides and spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the link and a flexible, non-metallic strap looped around the pin nearest the adjoining end of the link and the looped portions extending in overlying relation about the inner pin and brought out at the same end of the link, said link having substantially parallel sides for supporting said cross pins, said sides having coaxial bearings, one of larger diameter than the other, and one of the cross pins being slidably engaged in said bearings, the main portion of said pin being of a diameter to slide freely .through the smaller bearing and, having a head to limit inward sliding movement in said bearing, Said pin having a,

concentric enlargement at the opposite end slidably engageable in the larger bearing and of a diameter too large to pass through the smaller bearing, and a releasable detent for releasably holding the cross pin engaged in said bearings.

4. Securing means comprising a, link' having substantially parallel sides, substantially parallel strap holding pins extending across between said "sides and spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the link and a flexible, non-metallic strap looped around the pin nearest the adjoining end of the link and the loopedportions extending in overlying relation about the inner pin and brought out at the same end of the link, said link having substantially parallel sides for supporting said cross pins, said sides having coaxial bearings, one of larger diameter than the other, and one of the cross pins being slidably engaged in said bearings, the main portion of said pin being of a diameter to slide freely through the smaller bearing and having a head to limit inward sliding movement in said bearing, said pin having a concentric enlargement at the opposite end slidably engageable in the larger bearing and of a diameter too large to pass through the smaller bearing, and a spring detent carried by the enlarged end portion of said pin for releasably retaining the pin so positioned in the sides of the link.

FRANK L. DAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the vfile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS I 

